Hana Mi Zake
by littlekitsune1
Summary: Sequel to "Holiday Intoxication." Was it Sakura's innate power and feelings for Syaoran at that time that made the price temporarily recede? Or was it all just a side effect of the booze? Or a combination of both? SxS Set during chapter 75.


A/N: And so we come to the sequel to "Holiday Intoxication!" If you haven't read that prior, I'd recommend doing so before continuing. This entire story takes place in manga volume 11, chapter 75 (The Dream of Contentment), which was a deleted scene in the anime if you're only familiar with that (you poor sods, never knowing the joy of drunken Sakura...)

...

He'd failed utterly in his vow to never let Sakura drink again. This time, no one but Mokona had seen it coming, as the little creature had spiked her drink in a drunken fit of his own.

"No, you can't do this, princess!"

She was climbing into the Winged Egg-Go enthusiastically, an equally excited (and drunk) Mokona on her shoulder.

"Come on, Syaoran-kun! Fly with me!" she demanded, igniting the engine in a mighty blaze.

One crash, ninja scolding, and long chase around the area later, and the three men had their wayward princess in bed, sound asleep.

"She's pretty nimble for a drunk," Kurogane remarked, sounding tired, but almost impressed. "And smashed, she's even faster than when she's sober."

Fai chuckled, watching Syaoran pull the covers gently around the girl, Mokona asleep on her chest.

"I'd say that she was so happy at passing the preliminary race that she went and got herself drunk before the rest of us. Sakura-chan really is giving this her best."

Syaoran looked affectionately towards his princess at that. Ever since they were kids, she'd been the type of person to go after what she wanted with full determination. She shifted her face towards him.

Kurogane huffed loudly, and Syaoran turned at the sound of his heavy boots against the floorboards.

"I'm going to bed!" he announced, Fai prancing after him with his usual smile in place.

"True. We're going to be busy with maintenance on our Dragonflies to prepare for the finals."

'_Don't remind me…_' the boy groaned internally. Sakura's Winged Egg-Go had taken quite the beating and needed some serious repairs, if not new parts.

"You too, Syaoran-kun. Get some rest."

"Right."

Truth be told, he wasn't sure if he'd get much rest tonight. Today's race still had his mind whirling with unanswered questions and worry. Still, he diligently followed after the wizard, towards the door.

Or tried to... Something caught his shirt, jerking him back softly, and he looked down to see a delicate hand gripping the fabric.

Blushing lightly, he reached down to gently untangle her fingers from their firm hold. Taking her hand tenderly in his own, he leaned down, ignoring his impulse to brush the stray bangs from her beautiful face, and smiled.

"Good night… Sweet dreams," he whispered into her ear, stroking his thumb over her knuckles once, before releasing her hand and heading quietly towards the door. He cast one last glance back at her sleeping face, before shutting the door with a soft 'click.'

In her sleep, Sakura smiled.

…

He was right about not being able to sleep; though not for the reasons he'd expected. He'd indeed dozed off, only to find his dreams haunted by visions of his princess that he'd never admit to anyone. A dark night in a world wrapped in a peppermint winter that was completely at odds with the smoldering heat he felt inside - the princess around him, above him, pressing kisses to his sweaty skin. Her lips enveloping him until he cried out her name and-…

He jolted awake, breathing hard with an unwelcome ache between his legs. But the dream (Was it a dream? It seemed so real…) wasn't what had stirred him.

"Princess!" he called when he heard another screech from her room. "I'm coming!"

Slamming open the door and flicking on the light, he almost fell forwards with relief when he realized what was "wrong."

Mokona and the princess were awake, and sparkling jade met panicked amber right before Mokona did his impression of a rollercoaster again, causing the still-drunk girl to squeal in amusement.

"Zwoom!" they both exclaimed in gleeful unison, throwing their hands into the air.

"P-Princess-"

Twin footfalls echoed through the hallway, moments before their two companions arrived behind Syaoran, panic bleeding away from their expressions in a comical way that he may have laughed at under different circumstances.

"The hell's goin' on in here?!" Kurogane demanded.

Fai only cocked his head slightly, smile firmly back in place.

"It looks like Mokona is being a bad influence," he lilted tiredly.

An aura of utter fury was coming off the shinobi in waves, as he stomped over to the white creature, grabbing him by the ears – much to Sakura's constant mirth – and slinging him over his shoulder like a fisherman with his catch.

"Screw this, I'm going back to bed!" he bellowed, dragging the giggling critter with him out the door and back to his own room. "Make sure the princess doesn't wake me up again, kid!"

"Uh, yes!" Syaoran snapped out of his stupor to bow after the retreating back of the ninja in apology, somehow feeling guilty for Sakura's current state.

Fai only chuckled at the scene, "Oh my, Kuro-papa sure knows how to take charge, doesn't he?" The magician turned to Syaoran, clapping a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Though perhaps it _is _best that you keep her company, lest she go running out into the night again." His smile was sincere. "At least until she falls asleep again."

Syaoran only smiled back, before nodding. "Right."

As the mage retired to his own room again, Syaoran closed the door behind him before taking up residence in a chair near her bedside. Sakura was surprisingly quiet as she watched him, though he noticed her eyes were still bright, indicating it would be a while before she ran out of energy again. He smiled softly at her.

"You should get some rest, princess."

She remained silent on the bed, but her eyes lit up as he addressed her, a grin breaking out on her face as she shook her head in the negative.

He merely sighed, knowing it wouldn't be that easy. Sakura was a tenacious girl, and would likely get her way with him in the end, like she always had been able to. Not that she would ever remember that…

Disappointed in himself at the depressing turn his thoughts had taken, he quickly blanked his features before she could see it, but knew it was too late when the smile fell away and she cocked her head at him, her eyes a silent question. He smiled with a warmth he did not feel, but she was already crawling out of bed, towards him. As the sheets fell away from her body, his eyes widened and he stammered as he came to the realization that she had wriggled out of her pants at some point in the night. The pink dress she wore over them preserved her modesty, but as she swung her leg out to clumsily amble off the side of the bed, he caught a quick glimpse of flimsy white material and his face exploded in red.

It took two tries for him to manage her name, but the girl ignored him and approached, looking mildly confused when her drunken legs gave out and she collapsed into his lap. When he caught her gently, she seemed to shrug it off, and merely reached out her hand to brush across his cheek softly, her mood already vastly different courtesy of the booze.

"Don't be lonely, okay?"

His breath caught, recalling a time when she'd said those exact words to him in Oto.

Her eyes were alert, but rimmed with a glassy border that left him with no doubt that she was still under the influence of some strong alcohol. She pulled herself all the way into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck to steady herself, and acting like she didn't even hear his polite protests.

Sakura pressed her cheek against his heavily thumping heart and she hummed in contentment, making him blush again.

"I like it when you're around, Syaoran-kun…" she droned contentedly, "I don't feel so alone."

He swallowed thickly and his hands came up to her shoulders.

"You feel alone other times?" The thought saddened him immensely.

She blinked confused eyes up at him, and for a minute he thought she'd already forgotten what they were talking about, but she proved him wrong as she suddenly shrugged and grinned in that dopey way reserved for when she was in a state of inebriation.

"I'm not alone, but being with you tickles my memories somehow. It's lonely not having them." No shadow crossed her face. She just kept smiling and nuzzling her cheek against his heart. His grip on her shoulders tightened.

"I promise I'll get your feathers back soon, princess," he vowed. "Then her highness won't have to suffer these feelings anymore."

She scrunched up her face in annoyance, her eyes still closed. "I've told you to cut the polite speech, Syaoran."

His heart skipped a beat, and he choked on the breath in his throat.

"P-… Princess? What did you just call me?"

Emerald orbs slid open again, gazing at him curiously. "Syaoran-kun?" she asked, perplexed, mild concern lacing her voice.

He made a sound somewhere between a whimper and a choke in the back of his throat, before it was gone and he was smiling in what he could only hope was a reassuring manner.

"It's nothing, princess. I apologize."

She smiled brilliantly again, before burying her face against the pulse in his throat. He let her, the emotions tearing through him.

"You know what?" she started slowly, quietly, "I have a lot of dreams about you… and I've been thinking that you must have been someone very important to-"

It was too much. He couldn't swallow past the bead of longing that had lodged itself in his throat. Syaoran stood, causing Sakura to let out a startled squeak as he lifted her with him, cutting off whatever she may have been about to say about their relationship.

He could feel Yuuko's power pressing in around them, heavy and foreboding. It swirled against Sakura's mind, threatening to rip everything away again. Then, suddenly, it just drew back again. The bead in his throat swelled, and it took three tries to find his voice.

"Let's get you to bed. We have an early day tomorrow." He turned to switch the light back off.

"Oh…" she sounded disappointed, her breath warm and moist on his throat, and her grip loosened.

Hating to have upset her, but unable to take the crushing disappointment of knowing she'd never remember what she was saying, he slowly lowered her to the mattress. Just as he was about to let go, he felt her arms tighten around his neck again.

Her lips were on his, soft and unyielding. He was slow to react, but ripped away just as her tongue started probing against him, causing her to whine out her disappointment.

"Pr-"

"No! Don't go!" she sounded frantic, and pushed her lips against his throat, no longer the innocent light pressing it had been when she'd buried her face against him. "Stay with me."

He sighed, frustrated with his own conflicting emotions.

"I'm not going to leave, princess, but this isn't proper-"

Her teeth were grazing his pulse point, bringing back that unwelcome ache in his groin faster than he could reel it in.

"But we've already kissed before." she insisted, squirming to press her body closer to his.

"We… what?" his mind screeched to a halt. His dreams played before his eyes… Sakura pinning him with smoldering jade green eyes before taking him into her mouth, and… his face exploded into flames as he stared at the wall dumbly while the girl beneath him continued to work his neck, oblivious to his current turmoil.

"We've kissed," she repeated, "I gave you my Christmas present here…" she brushed her fingertips over his lips, making him shiver, "and…"

His breath caught, suddenly and violently, as realization struck him. Either she had been having the same dreams, or…

"… here," she finished in a breathy sigh, hand hovering over the part of him that ached as much as his heart.

"Sakura-hime…" his voice was deep, dangerously heady, as memories crashed down on him.

"I meant to give you a kiss on my birthday, when I told you that thing I needed to, but I was never able." Her voice was whimsical and sad.

It took him a moment to fully comprehend just what she'd said, and when he did, a strangled sound escaped him, unbidden.

'_Does she… remember?_'

He meant to ask her; meant to demand if Yuuko had returned his price, or if it was just the influence of the alcohol causing her to unconsciously dredge up things she wasn't supposed to. But the words wouldn't come. All he could do was stare at her face blankly. He felt a pressure build behind his eyes and then release, momentarily confusing him before he saw a wet droplet land on Sakura's cheek. She looked alarmed.

"Did I… hurt you?" She touched the red marks she'd left on his neck. "Syao-"

He didn't let her finish as he gathered her to him, hushing her with his mouth upon her own. It was a chaste peck, and she looked vaguely frustrated when he pulled away after only a few seconds, but kept quiet as he buried his nose in the side of her neck, remained silent as he lightly shook and she felt her skin dampening. "Sakura…" he whispered brokenly against her, "I missed you."

She only smiled, before touching his tear-tracked face to make him look at her. "Syaoran, please kiss me…" Her eyes were still glossy with inebriation, and he noticed it came out in a bit of a slur, but looking into her eyes in that moment – eyes that held a deep _recognition _for him, not just as a traveling companion, but gleamed with something deeper… with _love_ – he knew he would do anything for her.

She met him eagerly, halfway, bringing her hand up to the back of his neck when his lips pressed against hers. Their noses only bumped once this time, and he shifted to correct it with an awkward exhale. Her fingertips played against the nape of his neck, and Syaoran sucked in a shuddering groan, giving her room to push her tongue past his lips and coyly coax his own into joining it.

He was the one to be disappointed this time, as she pulled away after only a few moments of tangling their tongues together, and pushed him off.

"Prin-"

"Shh," she cut him off sternly, scooting back and shocking him by pulling her dress over her head, leaving her clad only in panties and a see-through undershirt. He gulped as his fascinated eyes took in the way her nipples hardened against the fabric at the new exposure to the cool room, quickly catching himself and shaking his head to look her in the eyes. They were half-lidded and held such heated longing that he almost had to turn away from her.

"Princess-"

"Sakura," she interrupted with a patient exasperation, "I've told you over and over to call me Sakura."

He couldn't respond, because her hands were on him again, pulling his casual sweatshirt over his head before he could protest, and reaching for the zipper holding his pants in place. He stopped her with a gentle hand.

"We shouldn't do this, Sakura. Last time, we were both drunk and I-"

She sighed, "You're right… Maybe we shouldn't." Her hand didn't move. He looked at her again; her face was set in determined lines. "But we're going to do it, anyway," she finished firmly.

Her clever hands yanked down on his zipper and had him freed from the confines of his pants and underwear before he could blink. He wanted to protest again, but his logical thought was fast escaping as those same nimble hands curled around him, drawing an echoing gasp from his throat, which she was covering in kisses again. "Sakura…" he groaned wantonly.

"Syaoran…" He pulsed in her hand at the use of his name without the honorific again, making her thrum in fascination. He hissed when she circled the tip with her thumb. It was all too much, and he felt a few more tears squeeze out from his pinched eyelids. She licked them away. He felt Sakura grab his hand and tried to twine his fingers with hers affectionately, but she had far less innocent ideas. She pressed his hand into the softness of her small breast, and he choked.

"Sa-… Sakura…"

"Shhh…"

"But-"

And then she was stroking him again, causing his head to fall back and his mind to go blissfully blank. After several passes across his rigid flesh, it was her turn to gasp softly when his thumb began stroking her beaded nipple through the fabric, in time with her caresses. Heady amber eyes opened to lock with her own intoxicating orbs, and they knew they were both lost. He leaned forward again, dislodging her hold on him, and pressed her reverently into the mattress.

"Sakura…"

She made a noise in the back of her throat and writhed against him, reaching out to grip his free hand. They both let out a harsh breath when she brought his fingers to her steadily dampening panties and pressed. Tenderly, curiously, with fingers and blunt nail-tips he began exploring this new territory as well, finding what strokes made her gasp, hiss, and whine with pleasure. She cried out when one of his fingers nudged under the fabric to press inside her, her wet heat sucking the digit in and squeezing until he groaned in want and nearly came undone right there.

"Syao… ran…" She was twisting her body against him again.

"Hold still…" he soothed, removing his hand from her breast to brace it against the side of her head in order to get better access to her lower body, "I don't want to hurt you." She could only mewl wantonly as he added a second finger and began sliding them in and out of her at a steady pace. It only lasted a few minutes, before he pulled them out gently, leaving her to gasp sharply and writhe in unfulfilled need at the loss of stimulation.

"Sakura…" Her eyes were closed, but opened slowly to look at him when she heard the need that cracked his normally rich voice. "I need… I want to taste you…"

"I'd like that," she answered breathily, placing a kiss on his jaw, tight with control. He didn't have the time to move before she had her undergarments off and strewn across the bed, looking up at him fervently; still a little drunkenly, but with a soft warm smile that pulled at his heartstrings.

His hands were on her soft breasts again, exploring them without the hindrance of fabric, and she sighed in contented pleasure, squirming when his calloused fingertips smoothed over her nipples. Then his lips were on her belly, moving downward.

"Syaoran…!" His name was a desperate plea, a gasp on her lips. Her knees came up, legs locking around his broad wiry shoulders as his tongue pleasured her. It took a few tries to find what she liked, but she was patient with him, and he was a fast learner. "Ah…!" He felt his self-control start to unravel at the seams and honestly thought he would lose it right then and there when her hands tangled in his chocolate locks and her feet smoothed down his bare back, toes curling against his spine and her moans echoing in his ears until they were all he could hear.

Even though it felt like a small eternity, it was over entirely too soon for both of them, and before either knew it her gasps and cries were overflowing, head tossing from side to side in ecstasy and she huffed for breath once… twice… before: "_Syaoran!_" And then the world was miles away and her toes were kneading restlessly against the naked skin of his back.

He gave her a few last, leisurely licks, and moaned against her hungrily when he felt the spasm of her muscles, almost making her lose it again. Looking up at her with glazed, half-lidded eyes, she met his gaze with her own burnished green one. Starlight streamed in through the closed window, kissing her flushed visage and lighting up her eyes, bright with the afterglow. Her brows were knitted together in anguished pleasure, and she was biting her lip as she stared at him.

'_Wow…_'

He clambered back up her body, feeling a little drunk, himself. By the time he was laying over her, looking into her feverish eyes, his breathing was hot and ragged. He pressed her body firmly into the bed with his own, making her groan happily and shift to accommodate him, re-wrapping her legs around his waist when he kissed her.

Despite the uncomfortable throbbing between his legs, he would have been content to just lay there with her the rest of the night, kissing her breathless and making her lips red and swollen from his affections. But his princess had other ideas, and he had to rip his lips away from hers to let out the harsh gasp when she gripped his length again. "Sakura…"

"Want you…" was all she said, before his head was going fuzzy and he very nearly yelped, as she aligned him with her slick folds and thrust up against him a little too eagerly, taking him inside in one sharp snap of her hips.

A small, strangled, squeak reached his ears, through the pounding of blood, and he snapped his eyes open to look down at her; cheeks flushed and beautiful eyes pinched shut.

"Are you… okay?"

She wouldn't open her eyes, but nodded vigorously. "Yes… Just don't-…"

"I won't," he promised, realizing what the problem was. His body's instincts were screaming at him to rock against her, to find that warm friction he'd felt with his fingers and tongue, but he kept still, contenting himself with holding her close and smoothing his thumbs over her shuddering skin. She was shivering when his lips sought hers again, her every nerve ending on high alert. Her breath was shaky as well, until she became so engrossed in the kiss that she forgot about the pain and shifted to get even closer to him. He moaned at the motion. She purred.

He didn't have to ask when Sakura's newness wore off. She made it clear as day when her hands moved to his hips, thin fingers digging in to try to coax him into moving with her, as she began to pulse her thighs desperately against his. He whined against her lips. It was all too much, too fast, and he had to slow this down before he came apart too soon. So with every ounce of his remaining control, his hands shot out to grip her hips – as gently as possible, under the circumstances – and pin them into the mattress. He desperately wanted to echo her disappointed whimper, but settled for kissing her distraught eyes closed and quietly shushing her, instead.

"Give me a minute, love…" His breathing was labored and his body was tight with the effort to keep his emotions in check. She held him close and nuzzled disconnectedly into his lean shoulder.

"Syaoran…"

Once the mind-numbing novelty of being inside the body of the one he'd loved for as long as he could remember died down, the boy slid out of her, until only his tip was inside, then slowly pushed back in. They both keened in unison, necks arching before their foreheads came forward to lean against the others'.

He kept up this steady rhythm, watching as her jade green eyes darkened and diluted with lust, until they were almost a stormy grey. She was breathing heavily and had a dreamy shimmer in her gaze that he'd never seen before, pupils dilated, and she'd never looked more beautiful.

Suddenly she shifted. It was just a fraction of an inch, but the difference was instantly obvious for both of them. Without warning, she yelped in bliss, nails daintily running down the length of his back. Syaoran gritted his teeth, almost coming undone for the millionth time that night, but couldn't stop his body from releasing a small string of milky pearls inside her, the feeling of which only seemed to goad her along further.

"_Please…!_' she whined, sounding desperate, and he froze. Please what? His virgin mind wasn't sure what to do, that he wasn't already doing.

She answered his prayers by articulating. "Harder, Syaoran… Faster, please!"

He wasn't sure whether to blush or rejoice in the utter shameless pleasure he could hear interlacing her voice, and all because of _him_. More of his chest pressed into hers as he moved his arms down to grip her thighs, shifting to balance on his knees, and hiking her body up with him; and his first thrust in that position nearly had them both screaming in ecstasy.

Within seconds they were lost in their own little world of rapture, nothing existing sans the others' eyes, embrace, and the driving pressure building where their bodies were joined. He grunted; she sighed; and as he felt the world bleeding away, he released one of her legs to frantically grapple for one of her hands. He found it, doing the same thing, and tightly threaded their fingers together just before they both cried out, collapsing against each other as white-hot pleasure rocketed up and down their spines; Syaoran grinding their clasped palms together while Sakura arched her back, toes curling as she felt his warmth flood her belly.

The afterglow found them tangled tightly together, shivering occasionally with the aftershocks of their euphoria. Sakura eventually looked up at him with glassy eyes, smiling the most brilliant smile he'd ever seen grace her face, before the sparkling emeralds slid closed and her head tipped contentedly to the side, and he knew she'd finally succumbed to slumber. Not wanting to withdraw from her warmth just yet, he sighed happily and smoothed her bangs, dark and heavy with sweat, away from her peaceful face.

As he was still holding her hand, he was forced to abandon her hair in favor of wiping his own moist brow when it dripped into his eyes, momentarily blinding him. When he opened them again, he thought his heart might break in two. Yuuko's power was there, a tangible thing in the darkness, twining around the girl in his arms. Sakura's smile was gone. He shut his eyes, and clutched her to him as if to protect her against the witch's very influence. "No… Please, no…"

She groaned in protest at his jostling, and then she said it; in her sleep, but no less real: "Syaoran-kun…"

The dream world he'd built around himself that night cracked, before shattering so loud he was sure it would wake everyone in the household. After all, that's all it was, right? A dream. A hope he hadn't even known he'd held out on, after trying so hard all this time to never look back, never regret, he'd somehow managed to blind even himself to the weakness in his own heart.

What the hell was he thinking, to take advantage of her temporarily addled mind like he had? She'd never said she remembered him, she was drunk! Her birthday vow a mere side effect of the intoxication! Biting his lip against the tears that threatened to consume him again, Syaoran wordlessly withdrew from her body. She whimpered in her sleep at the loss of warmth, but he refused to give in to the desire to comfort her. As he made to get up and off of her, he was stopped by her hand for the second time that night. Looking down, he realized their fingers were still clasped tightly together. A lump began to swell in his throat. He ripped his hand away as though her touch suddenly burned him.

She settled when he replaced his body with the comfort of her blankets, not bothering to dress her. He couldn't stomach the thought of her waking up right now, with no recollection of why her protector was holding her nude body to his own. Suddenly greatly ashamed of his own nakedness, the boy reached for his clothing, adorning it as swiftly and silently as possible. Sakura made a sound when he was finished, and he turned to her, fearing she had awoken. Seeing that she hadn't, his expression finally softened and he approached the bed where she lay. Leaning down, he whispered only one thing in her ear: "I'm sorry."

…

It was painfully obvious come morning that Sakura didn't remember anything from the night before. She'd apparently complained to Mokona about being a little sore, but nothing else seemed out of the ordinary, and everyone else brushed that off as the aftereffects of her little drunken romp around the city.

"Sakura-chan seems to be in a good mood." He hadn't heard Fai's approach, and whipped around to face him, startled. "You wouldn't happen to have something to do with that, would you?"

Syaoran watched the object of his attention leave the room with Mokona to take her shower after Kurogane exited the bathroom, still towel-drying his spiky hair.

It was hard to speak past the lump that had taken up permanent residence in his throat, so he didn't, merely turning away with a shallow nod. Fai said nothing.

The black fabric of Kurogane's shirt was in his face a moment later, and Syaoran leveled gazes with him firmly, stoically. The ninja remained silent in return, but Syaoran convinced himself he saw a knowing look in his eyes; repugnance. And why not? A naïve young girl with only a handful of memories lying with a boy she had no real recollection of? Taken advantage of when her mind had been in a vulnerable state, not fully aware of what she was doing. Yes, it did sound disgusting.

Kurogane took in the boy's sunken face, deep hollows gouged out with depression and self-loathing. His tired eyes were dampened, though he hid it gallantly. The shinobi sighed; he wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but he had his guesses, none of them good. Tossing the small hand towel over his shoulder with an exasperated sound, the man gently, almost affectionately, brought his fist down on the young boy's head, before heading into the kitchen.

Syaoran's expression contorted from carefully stoic to anguish.

…

"Fai-san?"

The magician looked up from whatever he'd been focusing on at the soft inquiry. He was momentarily taken aback by what Kurogane had seen. The boy had been watching Sakura up until this point. Fai had thought that would make him better, but he looked even worse this afternoon. The wizard's heart was not one to worry about the emotional affairs of others, but he owed these two kids a lot and even he felt something had to be done at this rate.

Smile firmly in place, eyes closed to hide the worry Syaoran might see swimming in them; the mage gave him his full attention.

"Oh dear, you look so serious, Syaoran-kun! Whatever could this be about?" His voice was its usual playful tone. "Sakura-chan will worry if you wear that gloomy expression, you know."

At the mention of the girl's name, Syaoran's careful façade cracked, and a wince flashed across his features. Oh my… This was serious.

"It's about her."

"She doesn't remember any of last night, huh?" A heavy pause. "And this bothers you."

Syaoran looked away, too ashamed to meet the magician's gaze. "She… We…" The boy didn't know what he was going to admit. If he even should. But Fai's eyes slid open and he pinned him with a serious stare.

"I know. My room was much closer than Kuro-pon's, after all." There was no judgment in his voice, but Syaoran's subconscious convinced him otherwise, and it was another blow to his still-bleeding heart.

"She remembered me." It was a soft confession, and at first, Fai wasn't sure he'd heard right. The shock showed on his face before he could melt it away behind another warm smile.

"She what?"

"She called me 'Syaoran.' She… had memories that shouldn't have been possible."

Fai contemplated this, the silence hanging heavy between them. He didn't think the witch was malicious enough to play games with an already-fragile heart, or cause willing pain to others. That left Sakura… Did the girl possess some power of her own, that had caused the price to recede at that time?

He only had a few moments to ponder it before Syaoran was speaking again, his eyes and jaw set in determination. "Could you make me forget, too?"

The very air seemed to freeze around them. Of all the things Fai had expected, that was not it. He set aside the Dragonfly manual he'd been studying, and stood, facing the boy with a grim look on his face. The wizard suddenly seemed very tall to the boy.

"You know I've decided not to use magic," he stated seriously.

"Yes..."

"But you're taking a chance on the fact that I might pity you and break that vow," it was a simple statement of truth, and Syaoran didn't flinch away as he finally met his gaze.

"Yes. But Kurogane-san also told me that you can likely use other techniques, to compensate."

Damn that ninja… He'd gotten him again. He plastered on a bright smile and reached out to pat Syaoran on the head.

"It's true. Something a little like hypnosis, I guess."

Syaoran didn't ask again.

Fai sighed and dropped his hand, not even bothering to ask the boy if he was sure. He could see the suffering in his gaze as clearly as anyone, after all. Taking Syaoran's face his hand, the sorcerer's smile turned almost sad.

"I can't make you forget completely, but when you wake up you'll think it was all a dream, like her."

The look in Syaoran's eyes was grateful, and he nodded slowly. "Understood."

Fai's hand made contact with the boy's forehead, and there was a brilliant flash of light before Syaoran's eyes went blank, rolling back into his head. Then the turmoil in his head went blissfully silent, and he collapsed into the mage's arms.

With no one around, Fai let the smile slip away, and really looked at the sleeping boy.

"You really are the most honest one out of all of us, Syaoran-kun." He allowed an affectionate look to creep into his eyes as he repeated the same words he'd once said to Sakura, "You make even someone like me, who shouldn't have time to worry about others hope you'll be happy in the end."

From the doorway, Kurogane observed silently. The kid had done what he'd needed to do to keep moving forward, and as a man of action, he respected that. Still… as he looked at the sleeping boy, he couldn't help the twinge of sympathy from gripping his heart, and found himself wondering if the boy wouldn't have chosen the same fate, even if their quest was over.

Dreams could be less painful than reality sometimes, after all.

…

"Let's see… We still have to buy the liquor…" Sakura's voice was bubbly, as if making a joke out of her tipsy adventures the night before, and Syaoran couldn't help but smile, himself.

Mokona giggled from where he sat on the girl's lap. "Sakura is having so much fun! Because Sakura made it into the final?"

His princess's smile was radiant, as she answered, "Of course that's part of it! But another reason…"

Her smile brightened even more, until she positively glowed.

"…is this great dream I had!"

Syaoran's breath caught in his throat suddenly, and his mind was filled with visions of his own dream… Sakura's hand in his own before she'd coaxed him into joining with her, ending with their hands still firmly twined together as they'd made love…

The snoopy creature clambered up to her head. "What kind of dream?"

Sakura put her finger to her chin in thought, the smile never leaving her face. "Let's see… Somebody was holding my hand, and then…"

'_Eh?!_' Syaoran lurched forward in his seat, his head cracking against the steering wheel, though thankfully the car didn't lurch with him and his two companions remained oblivious.

"I don't really remember the rest…"

He held his breath.

"… But I'm sure it was a really good dream! And when I woke up, I felt so happy!" She was beaming again.

Syaoran tucked himself low in his seat, keeping his head level with the steering wheel to hide his growing blush.

He was never letting Sakura drink again…

And he was never sleeping again…

...

A/N: As a note, Syaoran remembers up until the point when he first left Sakura in her room, before she woke him up again. The rest is made to seem like a dream, after he went to bed. Oh wow... I'd meant to make this kind of silly and romantic, like the first one, but then I started listening to "Lonely Lullaby" by Owl City and the lyrics "it's a bitter world, and I'd rather dream" really stuck out at me after including the line "dreams could be less painful than reality, sometimes" in the first story. If you haven't heard Lonely Lullaby, and you are a SxS fan, I recommend at least looking up the lyrics. It really fits the more tragic side of things for them, and as such, ended up as a major inspiration for this story. And hey, I had to make their normal interactions in the manga following Piffle make sense, didn't I? And I still managed to end on a lighthearted note, thanks to good ol' canon.

Credit for the idea of Fai making Syaoran forget goes completely to my friend, and fellow fanfiction author.

Was it Sakura's innate power and feelings for Syaoran at that time that made the price temporarily recede? Or was it all just a side effect of the booze? Or a combination of both? It's up to you!

*Hana Mi Zake literally translates to "flower-viewing sake" but ultimately means "sake drunk while viewing sakura." Hah, I'm so punny...


End file.
